Fate
by Celestial Ceci
Summary: Fate: it's a strange thing. Some people don't believe in fate, but what else could explain two people who live miles away in the same country having an argument with their parents at the same time? Packing their bags at the same time? Leaving home at the same time, and moving to California, at the exact same time? Only fate could describe such an incredible feat. (AU, no powers)
1. Chapter 1

Hi everyone! this is my story for the 2017 miraculous big bang challenge! if you don't know what a big bang is, basically, writers and artists sign up for the challenge and are put in pairs, and they have x amount of months to write a fic and their artist will make an accompanying piece to go with the story. my artist, angie, made a wonderful digital drawing to go with it that i'll link on my profile, and it's also the cover for this fic. since this is all written, i'll be updating it weekly or bi-weekly. hope you enjoy!

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Fate: it's a strange thing. Some people do not believe in fate, but what else could explain two people who live miles away in the same country having an argument with their parents at the same time? Packing their bags at the same time? Transferring all their funds at the same time, and moving to California, at the exact same time? Only fate could describe such an incredible feat.

"You want to move to California? You must have fucking lost your mind."

•••

"I think I've lost my mind," Marinette said in French as she dragged her suitcase into her "new" apartment. Near the beach? Check. Cheap? Check. So far, so good. She closed the door behind her and let Tikki off her leash before she flicked the switch on the wall, letting a dim light illuminate her new sitting area. The place looked absolutely ancient, with a water stain on the wall and a refrigerator that looked like it came straight out of the nineteen fifties. She gently leaned her surfboard case against the wall, and moved to open the curtains that led to her tiny balcony. A huge rat scampered out from under the curtain and Marinette squealed, jumping back. Okay, maybe not so good. Catching her breath with one hand to her heart, Marinette tentatively pulled the curtain all the way back and opened the balcony door to let in some fresh air.

The salty breeze filled her nose, and she could hear waves crashing in the distance. Her whole body itched to slip into a bathing suit and hit the waves. However, it had already become apparent that she needed to unpack and _clean_ first. She re-entered her dingy apartment and blew her bangs out of her face. She gathered her hair into a bun, flipped on all the lights, opened the windows, and reached under the sink for a mop and a bucket.

•••

After a week of living in California, Marinette had gotten used to English and had managed a few grocery runs without too much hassle. She had woken up early to have her morning coffee on her small balcony, so she could watch the ocean in the distance. She sat and sipped quietly until a voice interrupted her daydreams.

"Hello, neighbor."

Marinette jumped, spilling some of her coffee onto her bare leg. " _Aie!_ " She exclaimed.

"Oh, I am sorry! I did not mean to frighten you."

Marinette wiped the scalding coffee off her leg with the hem of her oversized shirt, and turned to see who her sneaky neighbor was. On the tiny balcony next to hers, stood a tall, tanned, and very handsome man. He, too, was still in his pajamas; but he was wearing pants, something Marinette was not, which she was becoming more and more conscious of by the second. His green eyes were wide with a mix of worry and amusement, and he leaned on his railing over the small space between their two balconies.

"Oh, it is fine, just… a little hot." She blushed, pulling her shirt down her legs as far as it would go.

The man cocked his head to the side, puzzled. "Your accent. Are you French?"

"Yes." Marinette was too embarrassed by her lack of pants to meet his gaze, but she was also curious. He had an accent, too. "I just moved here last week. Are you French as well?"

"I am," he responded. "And if I am French, and you are French," he smiled, and continued his sentence in French, "then why are we still speaking English to each other?"

That got Marinette to laugh. "No idea," she said in French. "Ah, it's nice to have someone to talk to, I must admit. What a coincidence that we just happen to live right next to one another."

"Hmm, a coincidence indeed. It must also be a coincidence that I moved here last week as well."

"Really?" Marinette mused, gazing at her reflection in her coffee. "I suppose it would be too much of a coincidence for you to have moved here because you surf, then." When she was met with silence, she managed to look up and meet his gaze.

"...You're a surfer?" he asked. Marinette nodded. "Well, that, my lady, is much more than coincidence. That's fate."

His beautiful native French was music to her ears, and his equally beautiful eyes were almost too much to take in at once. She turned away again and tugged a piece of hair loose from her bun in an attempt to hide the blush that was creeping up her cheeks. "Perhaps."

The conversation ended there, but Marinette could still feel his eyes on her. She only dared to sneak a glance back at him when he had turned to lean against his apartment wall, gazing out at the ocean in the distance.

"Um," Marinette coughed. "Do you think you could step inside for a moment?"

"Pardon me?"

"Could you step inside your apartment for a moment?"

"What for?" Marinette still wasn't looking at him, but she could hear his smile in his voice.

"Because… I'm… not wearing pants, and I've finished my coffee and would like to go inside."

The man chuckled. "So I've noticed. And you don't trust me to just avert my eyes as any self respecting gentleman would do?"

"Forgive me if I'm treating you as if we have just met, but we have literally just met, " Marinette said, "and I would just feel more comfortable."

The man pushed himself off the wall, and turned to go back inside. "Since you asked so nicely, my lady."

Marinette quickly got up and scurried inside her apartment, and slid the door closed behind her, slumping against it. "Goddamn," she breathed, touching her face that was burning with embarrassment that can only come from extremely attractive people happening upon you sans pants. "Slick as a fucking cat."

•••

A month into her California living, Marinette was feeling good. She had a job that wasn't too far and paid well, she had limited run-ins with her attractive neighbor, and she was finally figuring out the train situation. At first she was embarrassed to be hopping on the trolley with her surfboard, but no one really seemed to care. After work on Fridays, she would slip into her bathing suit, throw on shorts and a tee shirt, grab her board and her backpack and hit the beach.

On this particular Friday, she arrived and was happy to see good waves and an almost empty beach. She kicked off her shoes, shoved her clothes into her backpack, and left them behind on the sand. She tied her board leash onto her ankle and skipped out to meet the surf. When she got to the water she stopped for a minute and let it wash over her bare feet. Coming back to the ocean just felt _right_. Paddling out past the break, the methodical roll of the waves felt so familiar and yet so new every time. Marinette loved the ocean, and how it was ever changing. No two waves were the same, and that meant she would get a totally new experience every time she was out on the water. It was all so exciting to her. She would never grow tired of it.

As she gauged the swells in the distance, she heard the slapping of water against plastic behind her.

"So, we meet again," a familiar voice spoke in French.

Marinette tore her gaze from the waves and turned towards her neighbor, who glided up beside her, straddling his own surfboard.

"Hey stranger," she replied. She almost finished with a witty comment about stalking, when she stopped short. Draped over his shoulders was a black cat wearing a small, cat-sized life preserver. Marinette's mouth opened and closed several times before she managed to get out the words "s- surfer cat?!"

Her neighbor chuckled, and reached up with a free hand to scratch under the cat's chin. "Surfer cat, indeed. This is Plagg."

"He… doesn't mind the water?" Marinette was flabbergasted.

"Oh, he loves it. I don't take him out on days when there are big swells, but on calmer days I bring him along. He loves paddle boarding better, but he likes to surf with me, too."

"My idea of cats is forever changed," Marinette said. "I have a dog, but I haven't ever thought to take her surfing with me. She likes the beach, though."

"You should bring her sometime. I think dogs would catch onto it more easily than cats."

"I want to see you and that cat catch a wave. Then I'll believe you for sure," Marinette quipped. She felt confident enough to match his banter now that she was not sans pants.

"What, the cat here with me right now isn't enough for you?" He sounded offended.

"I told you, I'll believe it when I see it."

He shrugged, bouncing Plagg up and down. "Whatever the beautiful lady wants." He grinned cheekily at her. Marinette's fragile confidence was instantly melted by his compliment, and she ducked her head, covering her own smile with her hand. He took Plagg off his shoulders and placed him near the tip of the board, then adjusted himself on his stomach and started paddling out to catch a decent wave. Marinette swam to the shore and took a seat on the beach to watch.

Within a few minutes, she spotted a blond mop of hair paddling forward with strong strokes on top of a nearly-crested wave. He stood up with the confidence of an experienced surfer, and sure enough, the cat was standing low on the nose of the surfboard. After riding the wave for a few moments, he sped up and back over the crest of the wave. When the wave finished breaking, she saw him straddling his board with Plagg back on his shoulders. He gave her a thumbs up, and Marinette clapped and cheered, scooping her own board back up and running into the waves.

"That was incredible, I've never seen anything like that," she gushed.

Her neighbor flicked his damp locks out of his face and smiled. "Let's see you have a go."

Marinette lay on her stomach, and paddled out, choosing a wave carefully. She let go of the thought of being watched, and zeroed in on the feel of her board below her. As soon as she felt the wave give way, she stood and turned her board to the side, sliding down to be perpendicular with the wall of water. She let her fingers skim along the surface of the water next to her, enjoying the salty spray and the adrenaline that came with every wave. As the wave began to decay, she skimmed up and over the edge and safely to the wave's backside, and lay down again. Her neighbor whistled loudly from the water where she had started, and Marinette pumped her fists in the air.

For the next hour or so, they rode the waves in turn. When Marinette waved goodbye and started to paddle into shore, he followed her. "I should probably get going, too."

Marinette rinsed off the salt and quickly dried herself with her towel, before slipping her street clothes back on. She rinsed her board as well, and her neighbor joined her, now out of his wetsuit and into some shorts and a plain shirt. His cat wove around his legs, now free of his life jacket. "I don't think we ever properly introduced ourselves. I'm Adrien." he held out his hand.

"I'm Marinette." They shook.

"Where's your car? I can walk you there," Adrien offered.

"Oh," she said shyly. "I um… took the trolley."

"With your board?"

She nodded.

"Well, would you like a ride? I have room in my jeep, and I have a feeling we are headed to the same place."

"That would be… really nice, thank you." Marinette followed Adrien to his forest green jeep. The door locked clicked open with a beep, and Adrien opened the back door for Plagg to hop in.

"How do you already have an American license? And a car?" Marinette marveled as Adrien threw their boards on the rack on the roof of the car and secured them.

"I just got lucky with the license process." He explained, tying the last rope and hopping in the driver's seat. "And with the car, I had sort of planned for this trip, but it's only a rental. At least for now."

Marinette felt wrong sitting on the nice interior in her salty beach clothes, but Adrien seemed unperturbed. Plagg jumped out from the backseat, causing Marinette to jump. "Plagg, don't scare her." He scolded, but Plagg just curled up in Adrien's lap and began to lick the salt from his fur.

The ride back to the apartment complex was mostly silent, and when they arrived. Adrien offered to carry Marinette's board back to the room. "No it's okay, I can handle it." she insisted. When they made it to their doors, Marinette thanked him again for the ride. "And thank you for being my fate-neighbor. It's so nice to have someone to speak French to."

"It's a relief for me, too, Marinette. We'll have to go surfing together again sometime, teach that dog of yours to ride with you."

"Yes, Tikki will love that."

They stood there for a few more seconds than would have been normal, looking at each other. Marinette coughed awkwardly and unlocked her door, muttering a "thanks again". Tikki began barking and jumping as soon as the door was opened, and Mari shooed her back, tugging her board inside her apartment. She gave Adrien one last quick wave before shutting the door. There was no mistaking that cheeky grin on his face.


	2. Chapter 2

welcome back! hope you enjoy. thanks for those who have reviewed so far!

* * *

Marinette shuffled around her apartment, searching for her other shoe in a sleepy haze. Tikki bounced around her legs, wanting to go out. Marinette located her shoe by the door, and when she bent down to pick it up, she noticed a piece of paper halfway under her door. She picked up the note and unfolded it ignoring Tikki's whining.

 _Marinette~_

 _I'm going down to the beach at Oxnard_

 _this afternoon. lmk if you're interested in_

 _coming along._

 _Adrien_

 _404-376-4926_

Marinette reread the note twice, a mix of sleepiness and shock made it hard to absorb to the words. Here she was, holding a note from her super hot neighbor she'd spoken to only a handful of times, who wanted her to go surfing with him. Thinking about it that way, it seemed kind of creepy, but also what she had seen of her neighbor so far led her to believe he didn't have a malicious bone in his body. He was a perfect gentleman. Maybe… he was into her?

Tikki's urgent bark interrupted her thinking. Marinette grabbed her phone off the counter and shoved her shoes on her feet. Tikki sped off ahead of her down the short stairwell at the end of the building, and down to the small grassy area near the parking. While Tikki went to the bathroom and sniffed around in the dewy morning grass, Marinette sat on the steps and stared at the note and her phone. All she had to do was type in his number, and tell him she got the note and _yes_ , absolutely, she would _love_ to go to Oxnard that afternoon with him. Another part of Marinette was telling her that she should just politely decline; she'd met her neighbor only a few times and despite how nice he was and their quality conversations, she hasn't been in California very long, and jumping into something was usually her style. She'd come here to figure herself out, not find a guy.

Then again, she's come to California to make a new life. Coming here to become a professional surfer was her dream, and she'd come here following her heart, so why stop now? Maybe this could be the year of Marinette being bold.

She typed Adrien's number into the waiting blank at the top of her screen, and typed out a message in French.

 **Mari:** _hey! it's Mari; thank you for your note. I would definitely love to come with you to Oxnard this afternoon. what time were you thinking? I am free all day._

Send.

Done. No turning back now. Marinette whistled to Tikki and she came bounding back to Marinette's side. As they walked back up to her apartment door, Marinette felt her pocket vibrate.

 **hot neighbor:** _hey! that's great! I'm out right now running an errand, but I'll be back by 1. might be a little hot then, we can get something to eat before hand if you want to wait out the heat of the day._

Marinette's heart skipped a beat. Oh, fuck. This man really was the _slickest_. So, she wasn't quite expecting that, but she could play.

 **Mari** : _that sounds good. Lmk if you have any ideas, I'll eat whatever._

 **hot neighbor:** _great :)_

A smiley face. Oh, that had to mean he was interested! Marinette squeaked with excitement and darted back into her apartment. She clasped her phone with both hands and bunched on the balls her feet.

"Tikki! I think I might have a date!"

Tikki barked back, jumping up and putting her paws on Marinette's leg. Marinette ruffled the curly fur behind Tikki's ears, and Tikki panted and wagged her tail.

"C'mon girl, we also have a lot to do before one o'clock rolls around."

•••

Marinette, in her usual late fashion, was still swiping on waterproof mascara when there was a knock on her apartment door. Tikki ran past the bathroom door, barking, to alert Marinette of her visitor. Marinette practically skidded to a stop as she reached her door and flung it open.

"Hey." Adrien was leaning against the door frame, Jeep keys in hand. He looked very casual in some nice shorts and a shirt with chacos on his feet, but just as handsome as ever. Adrien let out a laugh and pointed to her own chacos. "Look, we have the same shoes!"

Marinette looked down and shuffled her feet a little. "Haha, we do! I only bought them a week ago or so. I was walking around everywhere and I was thinking, 'so this is what the Americans wear?', and I went out the next day and bought some!"

They laughed together for a moment, and Marinette stopped to pull Tikki back inside from around Adrien's legs. "Sorry, she's a little excited."

"It's fine." Adrien assured her. "Do you want me to grab your board?"

Marinette grabbed her key off the hook and pulled on her knapsack while Adrien gently carried her board outside. Marinette patted Tikki one more time and told her to behave herself before closing and locking her door.

"Where are we going?" Marinette asked, filling the silence as they stood together outside her door.

"Do you like noodles?"

The ride in Adrien's Jeep was pretty quiet, mostly small talk. Marinette perched on the edge of her seat, both because she wanted to look out the window as they drove, and because it still felt wrong to settle into the nice leather seats. She also found she would blatantly stare as Adrien if she didn't check herself, so she chose to look out the window at the scenery.

"Have you gone anywhere else besides around Ventura since you moved?" Adrien asked.

"No," Marinette responded, still looking out the window. "I've barely gone anywhere besides work and the grocery store."

"Me either." Adrien confessed. "I've wanted to eat something besides sandwiches, but I'm literally a horrible cook. And I feel fat eating out every other night."

Marinette laughed and faced forward again. "I only ate at home when I was younger, and during University I lived at home because I was so close. Not much eating out in my life."

"Where did you go to University?"

"ESMOD."

"Oh, that's in Paris! I lived there."

"Really?" Marinette said with disbelief.

"Yes!" Adrien smiled. "Right in the heart of the city."

"Me too!" Marinette replied. How many more coincidences were there between them? "I lived right in the middle of it all, too. I could see the Seine right from my balcony."

"We just keep finding all these mysterious connections, Marinette." Adrien parked the Jeep and got out. Marinette did the same, careful not to bump the car he was parked next to. Adrien waited and held open the door for her.

Once they were seated, Adrien picked up a menu and began to study it with deep concentration. Marinette took this opportunity to let herself look at him. He had the most gorgeous green eyes she'd ever seen, and blonde hair that was wavy and fell perfectly into place-

Adrien looked up from his menu for a split second, and Marinette made a tiny squeak and averted her eyes. She shifted her legs uncomfortably and tried to study the menu with an intense gaze. Adrien allowed himself a small smile. Marinette was a very captivating girl, and he'd found her absolutely magnetic since he first saw her. She seemed almost too good to be true, like she was all of Adrien's favorite things rolled into one. Despite their being neighbors, he hoped Marinette was seeing this date as more than just your average friendly lunch outing. Did she?

Once the waitress got their orders (chicken pho for Adrien, shrimp wonton for Marinette), Adrien opened the conversation up by asking Marinette about her surf journey. She was happy to oblige, and told him stories of her making yearly trips to her distant cousin's beach house for months at a time to spend the summer surfing, and how she'd practically lived there during her weekends in college. She'd studied fashion design at ESMOD, and hoped to design less boring wetsuits and other surf gear in the future as a career. Right now, she worked at a surf shop that was situated on the nearby boardwalk and did custom paint jobs for people's surf boards.

"So, what do you do here?" Marinette asked.

"Well, back in France I worked for my dad directly. He's, um… not really into the whole surf scene. But he has an old business friend here in Ventura, and I got a job working for him. I'm a photographer basically, but not the exciting kind." Adrien skated around the question. He knew his last name might give him away at some point, but there was no need to delve into those kinds of deep personal details quite so soon.

"You take pictures of people? That's cool!" Marinette countered.

"More like… products."

"Oh, I see. Well, this _is_ California." Marinette said. "I'm sure if you can hold a camera, you can get people to pay you for a halfway decent shot of their face."

Adrien laughed. "You're probably right. Maybe I should do a side business."

Their noodles arrived, and Marinette digs in with her chopsticks expertly. "I think it's a good idea. Maybe if you had some more money, you could stop having sandwiches for every meal!"

They ended up sitting at the restaurant for an hour and a half after finishing their meal. When the afternoon sun began to slant through the windows, Adrien suggested they head to the beach.

Marinette felt jittery on the ride to Oxnard, but once she was on the water, she felt right at home. The methodical rocking of the waves, the feeling of the water cascading over her legs in a steady rhythm, her eyes scanning for perfect, half-built swells in the distance. She and Adrien had a great time together. Adrien was a really good wave spotter, and she admired his technique with envy. He'd obviously had a little more professional training than he'd let on during lunch, but Marinette chalked it up to being humble about his skill. It was a welcome change of pace from many of the other competitive surfers she knew back in France.

Marinette hadn't even payed attention to how long they had been out on the water, she was having so much fun. As she and Adrien floated next to each other looking for waves, Adrien gasped.

"What is is?" Marinette asked.

"You got some sun!" Adrien gently reached out a hand to press his pointer finger against Marinette's flushed cheek to check for sunburn. When her warm skin flashed from pink to pale white and back again, he tisked to himself. "Did you remember to put sunscreen on before we left?" He asked, concerned.

Marinette sighed and put a hand to her face, feeling the heat radiating off her sunburn. "I guess not. I'm always forgetting stuff like that. I guess it's the reason I have so many freckles."

"Well, maybe a sunburn is worth it if it means more cute freckles."

It was a good thing Marinette's cheeks were already bright pink, and they covered her blush. "Thank you," was all she could manage.

Adrien just smiled back at her. "Of course."

Finally, the afternoon drew to a close. The sun turned the ocean from blue to shades of orange, and the two surfers dragged their boards back to shore and to the boardwalk to rinse the sand and salt from both the boards and themselves.

"Are you hungry again?" Adrien asked Marinette.

"Starving," she said as she wrung out her hair. "And also dehydrated."

"Same. Listen, I know it looks kinda sketchy, but the shack at the end of the boardwalk is actually pretty good. We can get something there, if you want," Adrien offered.

"Oh, I don't know," Marinette said, unsure. "I don't think I have much money left."

"It's fine." Adrien waved her excuse away. "I can cover for you."

"I can't ask you to do that."

"Nonsense, c'mon." Adrien waved her to follow him.

They sat on the edge of the boardwalk, letting their feet hang over the side at a place where it was higher than the dunes below. A paper basket of fish n chips sat between them, and Marinette's complimentary water cup was on it's fourth refill.

"Do you ever think about how life giving the ocean is when you're catching a wave, and then think about how life sapping it is when later you realize the salt water sucked all the hydration from your body hours later," Marinette asked, shaking the styrofoam cup to get the last few drops of water off the bottom and into her mouth.

"Everytime!" Adrien laughed. He popped one of the french fry crumbs in his mouth. "But are you sure that it's the salt water and not these fries? I think I had two and then they were suddenly gone."

"Too bad so sad," Marinette teased in English. "And yes, I'm sure it's the water. The ocean is the reason for my constant dehydration."

By the time they polished off the fish n chips, the sun was sitting low in the sky. Marinette turned to face Adrien before they headed back to his car. "I had a really good time today, Adrien. Thank you for inviting me."

"Of course," he said.

"We should, um… we should make this, like, a thing. You know?"

"Like… afternoon surfing and noodles?" Adrien questioned.

"Yeah. Afternoon surfing and noodles," Marinette agreed.

"I'd like that." Adrien smiled.


	3. Chapter 3

I MEANT TO UPDATE LIKE 2 DAYS AGO but my life was busyyyyyyy so sorry! but we're back and better than ever so ! *whips* here's what you've been waiting for.

* * *

Together they rinsed the sand from their shoes, and Adrien took her hand as they walked leisurely back to the apartments. Surf shop windows glowed with neon, the ocean breeze rustling the palm trees that lined the street. On the corner, a man played a violin, his case open at his feet for people to throw their change in. Adrien dug out a few coins and a bill from his pocket to throw in as they passed.

The man smiled appreciatively as they passed, not pausing in his playing. Adrien looked down at Marinette they walked, and his breath caught in his throat. The lights from the stores and lampposts cast an otherworldly glow across the whole street, and under the lights Marinette looked absolutely angelic. Her hair had been blown around by the beach breeze, and left her with locks of stray hair framing her face perfectly. He'd never seen anything more beautiful.

Marinette felt his stare, and looked up at him with her sparkling blue eyes. Adrien spun in front of her, grabbing her free hand with his. "Dance with me, Marinette."

"Here?" she squeaked. "In the street?"

"Yes!" Adrien let go of one of her hands, and spun her around in a twirl as they walked. Adrien laughed, and pulled her along as they skipped and spun down the street to the fading violin music. At the end of the street, Adrien stopped suddenly and twirled her again as she chased him around a lamppost. Marinette gasped when he pulled her in close after the spin, their eyes locked and hearts pounding.

Adrien lifted their hands that were intertwined, and spread their fingers so they were pressing their palms together. He studied their hands, gathering his courage.

"Marinette?" He whispered.

"Yes?" She whispered back.

"Can I kiss you?" Adrien asked in French, looking into her eyes at last.

Marinette blushed. "Yes." She whispered.

There, under the lights of the street lamps and neon signs, soft violin music drifting in the ocean breeze, Adrien Agreste kissed Marinette Dupain-Cheng.

•••

Adrien and Marinette walked down the beach with their surfboards, headed to the parking lot. The sun was setting, casting a warm glow across Adrien's blonde hair, and the gentle ocean breeze blew around the strands of his hair that were already dry. Adrien was relaying to Marinette a story from work -in French, as usual- but she was honestly not listening too closely. She was too focused about how the rays from the sunset were causing Adrien to glow like the sun itself, wondering what in the world she could have possibly done to gain his affection.

Marinette broke out of her train of thought when she heard someone yelling in their direction. She shushed Adrien and turned around, squinting towards the setting sun as she tried to look down the beach.

A girl who looked about her age, late twenties, was running toward them. She had one hand planted firmly on her head to keep her baseball cap in place, a head of fluffy and wild hair underneath it. In her other hand she brandished a cell phone and a notepad.

Adrien cast Marinette a glance as the girl stopped when she reached them, catching her breath. "Whoo, sorry about that." She straightened up and blew a piece of hair out of her face. "My name is Alya Césaire, I'm a reporter for the California Newspaper. I'm running a story on the upcoming ECSC here in Ventura, and I noticed your boards. Could I ask you guys a few questions for my article?"

"The what?" Marinette asked, confused.

"The ECSC. East Coast Surfing Competition? Unless you guys aren't the competing type-" Alya started before being cut off by Marinette gasping and putting a hand on her shoulder.

"OH! Yes! Wait, I mean no. Well, we are only amatuer surfers. We are not professionals."

"Marinette, the ECSC is for professionals and amateurs. Yes?" Adrien broke in.

"Um, yeah," Alya said, looking between the two of them with a confused expression. "Are you guys not from around here? I hear your accent."

Marinette ran a hand through one of her pigtails self-consciously. "Yes, we are both from France. Is it too obvious?"

"Oh, no, that's cool! So that's why you didn't know about it. Are you guys here for vacation, or…?" Alya asked.

"We both just moved here a few months ago," Adrien answered. "We ended up being neighbors by coincidence."

"Whoa, that's wild." Alya adjusted her hat. "Wait, so you guys are both amatuer sufers?"

Adrien and Marinette nodded.

"You can still enter the competition, you know. There's plenty of time. Entries don't close until August."

Marinette and Adrien's faces both lit up. "Oh, Adrien, that sounds perfect!"

"It does!" He agreed.

"Awesome!" Alya said. "Hey, if one or both of you guys are willing, could I get your contact info? If you enter the competition, following you guys would make a _great_ article."

"Of course!" Marinette said. Alya jotted her number on a piece of paper she tore from her notebook and gave it to Marinette.

"Just text me when you can so I'll have your number too. Thank you so much!" Alya turned to leave, then stopped. "Wait, can I get your name?"

"Marinette Dupain-Cheng." She smiled.

Back at their apartments , Adrien showered first. Marinette perched on a stool at the counter. She typed Alya's number into her phone, and wrote her a text message.

 **marinette:** _hi alya! this is marinette; could we meet some morning this week for you to tell me more about this competition?_

Almost immediately, her message was read and the typing bubble popped up. Marinette smiled, her fast response a mark of a good reporter.

 **alya (reporter)** : _hey girl! of course! is 9 on wednesday good for you?_

 **marinette:** _sure thing! you can pick the place._

 **alya (reporter):** _(:_

Later that week, Marinette was meeting Alya for breakfast at a local cafe in Ventura. Alya suggested breakfast because she was a morning person. Marinette forgot to warn her that she was the very opposite of a morning person.

Marinette busted through the doors of the cafe, eveys searching frantically for Alya who had already gotten a table. She spotted her in the back corner by a window, and gave the hostess a quick wave as she rushed past to sit with her. "Ohmygosh, I'm so sorry." Marinette said, breathless. She hung her purse on the chair and brushed her windswept bangs out of her face.

Alya laughed. "It's okay, girl! No worries. I went ahead and ordered you a coffee, I hope that's okay?"

"Perfect." Marinette beamed.

"Okay, here's what I got for you." Alya reached into her messenger bag at her feet and pulled out some papers and a pen. "Is it okay if I record some of this? Treat it kind of like an interview?" Alya asked. Marinette nodded. "Great!" Alya pulled out her phone too and opened her recording app. A waitress brought over their coffees, and Marinette sipped her's black while Alya dumped cream and sugar into her cut and stirred it around.

"So basically, the ECSC is a week-long competition at the end of August. There's beach volleyball, paddle-boarding, and skimboarding but the main event is the surfing. There's different divisions for pros and amateurs. There's open, longboard and shortboard. You'll have to sign up soon, the entries close at the end of the month." Alya said, pointing out thing on her paper. "Sign up is online, but here's a physical list of the divisions."

Marinette's eyes skimmed the paper, catching on the women and men's shortboard divisions, and the women's open.

"It's a minor circuit competition, so you don't need points for this. Have you done any competitions since you moved to the US?" Alya asked.

"No, I have been busy trying to settle with my job and such to look into competing just yet, but it is the reason I came here." Marinette said, folding up the list to show Adrien later.

"Makes sense," Alya responded. "I cover most of the surfing sports in Southern California. If you need any help with contacts or getting into a competition, I can definitely help you out."

"Yeah, that would be great. Thank you so much." Marinette said sincerely.

"No, thank you for letting me follow you for a story! Speaking of which, what about that guy you were with? Is he going to enter also?"

"Adrien? Oh yes, I'm sure he will. We haven't talked about it that much but we're pretty much on the same page with the surfing."

"What's your deal with him?" Alya asked as she swirled her coffee cup in a circle on the tabletop. "Are you guys just friends or is he your boyfriend?"

"Oh." Marinette blushed. "I guess you could call him my boyfriend. You know we just ended up moving in next to each other, but it turns out that we're from the same part of France and stuff."

"Crazy!" Alya exclaimed, clearly intrigued. "Maybe I should follow your relationship as a story, too!"

Marinette laughed. "Sure, if you would like. It is kind of interesting."

Alya and Marinette talked much longer than the hour they had planned for. Marinette found Alya hilarious and very easy to talk to, and she had her laughing so hard at times that Marinette's sides were sore at the end of it all. Alya found the story of her and Adrien coming from the same place and meeting halfway across the world incredibly romantic. They agreed to meet a time the next week just to hang out again, and Marinette promised to let her know as soon as she signed up for the competition.

At noon, Marinette went to work for her shift, and when it was over she met Adrien back at the apartments for an afternoon surf. Adrien suggested they bring Tikki and see if they could get her out on the water.

"As long as you don't mind a wet dog in the back of your Jeep at the end of it all!" Marinette laughed.

"It's fine," Adrien waved her off. "Bring her, it'll be fun."

Tikki and Plagg were excited to go to the beach, and Plagg spent the whole car ride standing in Adrien's lap, looking out of the window and making chirping noises. Tikki panted in the backseat, tail wagging like crazy. As soon as the car doors opened, both animals jumped out and ran around each other.

"You guys are full of beans today, huh?" Adrien asked the two pets that were milling around his legs. Marinette helped Adrien unstrap their boards from the roof, and Adrien put Plagg's tiny life vest on.

The waves were small today, and it was low tide; perfect for trying to get Tikki on the board. Adrien suggested they just try to get her used to standing on it first, so Adrien left his board and a napping Plagg on the shore. Marinette's dog readily swam out into the ocean with them, and Marinette hoisted Tikki up and onto the board's riding surface while Adrien held it steady.

"Look, she's sort of doing it." Marinette observed, as Tikki stood on the unsteady surface.

"It's a good thing she's not too big. Try and get her more to the front of it, then I'll hold it so you can sit across the middle." Adrien suggested.

They got Tikki to shuffle up towards the nose of the board, and Marinette tried to push herself onto the board as gently as possible. Unfortunately, mounting the surfboard without tilting it was impossible, and as soon as Marinette got on Tikki slid right off the side and into the water.

"Tikki!" Marinette gasped, watching as her dog splashed around and struggled to get back on the board. Adrien was floating next to them, dying of laughter. "Adrien! Don't laugh at my dog."

"Well, she got back on just fine. Go and try a wave." He suggested, resting his forearms lightly on the board so he could look up at Marinette.

Marinette humphed and stuck her tongue out at him. Adrien just kissed her forearm lightly, and started swimming back to shore to watch. Marinette's skin tingled where his lips touched her arm, and she blushed.

Surfing with Tikki was not easy. She was a small dog, but not nearly as light as Plagg was, and so her board was very off balance. That, and she didn't want to stand up, so she was basically a rock on the board with Marinette. He decided to give up after a second attempt that ended with Tikki bailing and running to shore. Out on the water, Marinette raised her hands in defeat, and Adrien mirrored her from the shore. Marinette waded in and stuck her board in the sand, Tikki jumping at her legs.

"Guess that's a bust." Marinette said.

"Eh, not my fault Tikki isn't as talented as Plagg here." Adrien smirked.

"Oh, shut up." Marinette swatted at Adrien's arm. "C'mon, let's go back out."

"Waves are too small to be exciting," Adrien said. "Want to just swim instead?"

"Oka-UMPH!"

Adrien lunged forward and scooped Marinette into his arms, running toward the water while she squealed. He ran as far out as he could, until the water got too deep, and then he lowered into the water so only their heads were out.

"I hate you." Marinette said with a grin.

"I hate you, too." Adrien replied, with an even bigger smile.

They looked at each other for a moment, eyes exploring each other's faces, water moving around them. Marinette brushed their noses together and whispered gently, "would you like another kiss?"

Adrien responded by connecting their lips.

•••

Several weeks went by, and Alya turned out to be a great friend. She and Marinette hung out twice or even more times a week watching movies, going out to eat, or just talking, and she helped her and Adrien register for the ECSC. Marinette and Adrien practiced everyday, judging and correcting each other's technique. Marinette finally felt like her life in California was falling into place.

•••

A cheerful jingle echoed around Adrien's bedroom Marinette groaned and sat up, her foggy eyes landing on the harsh light coming from her cell phone that was buzzing on the nightstand.

"Mmph," Adrien rolled over and stuffed his face into his pillow. "Five more minutes, princess." he mumbled in messy french.

"It's just my phone." Marinette grabbed it and rubbed her eyes to clear her vision. At first she suspected it was a drunken call from Alya who needed a ride home, but her heart skipped a beat when she read the contact name.

 _ **Incoming Call:**_ _Papa_

Marinette felt frozen. Her finger went to press the decline button, but stopped. She held the phone and let it ring, unable to look away from the screen even as the call faded out and was replaced with the missed call notification.

"Who was it?" Adrien squinted at her, eyes adjusting to the glow in the dark room. When Marinette didn't say anything, he sat up and put a hand on her shoulder. "Mari? Mari, what's wrong?"

Marinette's phone came alive in her hands, the cheerful tone and buzzing resumed.

 _ **Incoming Call:**_ _Papa_

"Your father?" Adrien read the screen. "You should answer it, princess. Mari? Marinette?"

Marinette threw off the covers and slid off the bed. She walked over to the glass doors to the balcony, and pressed accept on the call. Adrien watched from the bed with concern.

"Bonjour, Papa."

" _Bonjour, Marinette."_

There was a beat of silence, then Marinette and her father started talking at the same time. "Is something-"

" _Marinette, I hate-"_

More silence. Marinette cleared her throat. "You first."

" _Marinette, I hate for this to be the circumstance of our first call but… it's your mother. She's fallen very ill, Marinette. She's had a stroke."_

* * *

i'm normally terrible at cliff hangers, but i tried really hard on this one :P #sorrynotsorry


	4. Chapter 4

welcome back! this chapter is kind of short, so I'll be uploading the next one really soon after. shoutout to dwellinindreams for all your sweet reviews! i am glad you're enjoying it. happy reading!

* * *

Marinette was silent. He father calmly explained what had happened, and how she was in stable but bad condition. All Marinette had been able to promise him was to keep in touch. She could not, however, honor his other request right away.

Once she hung up the phone she was on the ground, forehead pressed against the cold glass. Adrien was talking to her, but his words weren't loud enough to overpower her father's.

 _She's dying, Marinette._

He'd choked it out, and all Marinette could do was be silent. She didn't feel panic. She didn't feel anger. She didn't even feel fear. All she felt was a horrible guilt, one that gripped her heart and made it heavy in the pit of her stomach.

 _She's dying, Marinette._

Her mother was dying and here Marinette was, halfway across the world. Unable to do anything. She knew going back would be a tricky situation, but she also couldn't stay here and sit by while this went on. A hot tear formed in the corner of one of her eyes. Once it fell, the rest of them started rolling out. Her nose ran and she clutched Adrien's nightshirt as she sobbed into his chest.

Adrien gathered her into his lap and soothed her by rubbing her back and kissing the crown of her head. Only after several minutes, when Marinette's tears stopped and she began to take deep breaths, did Adrien ask what had happened.

"It's maman," Marinette whispered. "She- she's… she had a stroke."

"Oh, Marinette," Adrien breathed. He kissed her forehead and brushed his thumb across her tear-stained cheek. "You should go back to France. You need to be there for her."

At the suggestion, Marinette shook her head adamantly. "No, no I can't go back. I-I'm not welcome back home. My family wouldn't want me there."

"What? What do you mean? Your mom is sick, Marinette. Why on Earth would they not let you back home?"

Marinette gazed out the window and out towards the ocean, her eyes feeling puffy and raw. She had wanted to tell Adrien eventually, and it seemed the time had finally come. "I… fought with my parents about coming here. Maman and Papa didn't want me moving to America, especially not for surfing. They think it's too dangerous. T-they told me that if I came here, I wouldn't be allowed back home if it didn't work out. I was too stubborn to give up, and so I left them behind to come here to Ventura and _oh Adrien whathaveIdone-"_ Marinette choked on her own words and started crying again.

Adrien held his girlfriend close in his arms. While she cried he took what she said and turned it over in his mind. A fight with her parents? Coming to California out of spite? It was all too much of a coincidence.

"Marinette, listen to me. It's not your fault, you can't blame yourself." Adrien stroked her hair. "Besides, that makes two of us who are in the deep end with our parents."

Marinette looked up at him with wet eyes that pulled at his heartstrings. He hated to see her like this. "Really?" she asked.

Adrien nodded. "I had the exact same argument with my dad. I know how you must feel. But really, everything… happens for a reason I guess. You coming here didn't cause this. And if your mom is sick, that should certainly change the way your family will react to you going back home."

Marinette turned away and looked out the window once more before burying her face in the crook of Adrien's neck. "I don't want to have to talk about it anymore."

"Okay, okay, we don't have to." Adrien smoothed her hair. "Let's go back to bed." He scooped Marinette up into his arms and rested her on his bed. He handed her a tissue from the box on the bedside table, and took her phone that she was still clutching tightly in one of her hands. Marinette blew her nose a few times, and put the used tissue on the table. Adrien held her hands in his and gave her one more kiss on the forehead. "It's going to be okay, Marinette." They lay back on the bed, Marinette snuggled deeply into Adrien's chest. Marinette found peace in his arms and his gentle caresses of her hair, but her sleep was restless and haunted by her father's words.

 _She's dying, Marinette._

•••

Marinette stayed in bed all the next day. She slept on and off, and Adrien was unsuccessful at getting her to eat lunch, but managed to get some dinner in her. In the following days after, Marinette was able to return to work, but she still moped around the apartment whenever she wasn't at the shop. 4 days after, Marinette called Alya for advice.

" _My god Marinette, I'm so sorry. I had no idea that you left home on that note."_

"Yeah, I haven't really talked about it with anyone. Really only you and Adrien know."

" _Well, what did he suggest?"_

"He thinks I should go back."

" _And I agree. This is your mom we're talking about. Who gives a shit what the rest of your family thinks? Going back now can prove you care, and they might let go of their resentment."_

"I don't know Alya… they literally said 'don't come back'. I haven't gotten a second call from my dad; maybe my mom doesn't even want me to come."

" _You're her daughter, Marinette. And if she's really sick, she'll want to see you."_

"You haven't met Sabine, Alya."

" _No, I haven't but I also have a mom. All moms are inherently the same when it comes to their children no matter what."_

Marinette rolled her eyes. "I guess so."

" _Girl, you need to get your mind off this. Have you even been to the beach this week?"_

"...No."

" _That's what I thought. Get changed, I'm coming over in 20 to pick you up. We can go together."_

Marinette smiled. Alya knew exactly what she needed. "Okay. See you then."

Alya came by promptly 5 minutes early, no doubt having sped there. She also had a Jeep, but it was an old one with no doors. Marinette liked to ride in it just as much as Adrien's nice new one, with the wind rushing around her and Alya's partially working speakers blasting loud pop. At the beach. Alya watched Marinette catch waves and took pictures with her nice camera, and then they hid Marinette's surfboard in the bushes so they could walk on the boardwalk and get ice cream.

"Thank you for making me leave the house, Alya," Marinette said as they walked, licking their ice creams.

"Of course. Sometimes you need to take a step back so you can come back to a problem with a fresh mind. And it's nice to act like everything is normal for a little while."

Marinette hummed in agreement. "I think I know what I'm going to do. Surfing really helped me clear my head."

"And…?" Alya asked.

"I'm gonna stay here," Marinette said with a slight cringe, afraid of Alya's reaction.

But Alya was surprisingly calm. "Really?" She asked, brows creased. She stopped walking and turned to face her. "Are you sure?"

"Yes," Marinette said firmly. "My dad didn't ask me to come back. They told me not to before I left. That was the last thing my mom ever said to me, I feel like I should just listen to what she said and stay here."

Alya reached out and put her free hand on Marinette's shoulder. "If that's what you think you should do, then do it, Mari. I think you should at least reach out occasionally to see how she's doing."

"Yeah, I will," Marinette said, and they started walking again. "I just have to tell Adrien now."


	5. Chapter 5

here we are again. i meant to post this last night but uh... my day got carried away. so here it is! buCKLE UP EVERYONE.

* * *

Marinette sat on the couch cuddled up with Tikki while Adrien bustled around the kitchen. He'd insisted that he was ready to try making dinner thanks to Marinette's teaching.

" _The storm is gaining strength, but being days away from hitting land, there's still plenty of time for it to grow even bigger…"_ the weather girl spoke on the television, gesturing to the huge storm map behind her.

"Looks like the storm is set to hit next week." Marinette called from the couch.

"Uh-huh… hey, Plagg, cut it-!" Adrien yelled, followed by a thump.

Marinette laughed and rolled her eyes, leaving Tikki on the couch to go sit at the stools on the other side of the kitchen counter. "Are you sure you don't need any help?"

"Yes, I'm sure. Plagg is just… getting in the way. I'm sure they can feel the weather change coming." Adrien pushed Plagg away with his elbow from the sausage he was cutting up.

Marinette made a small whistle and snapped her fingers, and Plagg bounded away from Adrien to go lay in front of Marinette for petting. "I'll keep him busy." Marinette stroked his fur as she gave Adrien a wink. "You know, I was searching online about people who surf storm waves."

"Storm waves? Like huge, 50 foot waves that are made in hurricanes?" Adrien asked, focused on his chopping.

"Yeah."

"That sounds stupid." Adrien wrinkled his nose at the thought, and moved to check the pasta.

"You don't think that sounds cool? Not… not even a little fun?" Marinette asked.

"No," Adrien tasted a piece of pasta and went to turn off the burner. "That sounds like a fantastic way to drown."

"Hm." Marinette looked down at Plagg, who had his eyes closed.

Adrien was silent for a moment as he drained the pasta and put it back on the stove. "Do you disagree?"

"I mean, yeah it's obviously dangerous. But that's why the people do it. The thrill of riding a huge wave, ones that only come out every few years… these waves could be a once in a lifetime opportunity. That doesn't sound exciting to you at all?" Marinette said.

Adrien set the pot on the counter and turned to look at her. "I mean sure, surfing a huge wave sounds incredible. But in a storm? That would be terrifying. The wind would just create more waves, and rip currents could form… if you wiped out, you'd never make it back to shore if the waves were big." Adrien counted off the reasons on his fingers. "Please don't tell me you want to go out on the water when the hurricane comes, Marinette."

"Well…" Marinette ducked her head sheepishly.

"Marinette!" Adrien scolded. "Seriously? I thought you were smarter than that." He shook his head at her.

Marinette was taken aback. "Whoa, okay. I can understand your concern but you don't have to be mean. Plenty of people do it, Adrien. And _they_ live."

"Okay, so? Doesn't mean you can." Adrien crossed his arms.

"What, do you think I'm not a good enough surfer? Is that what this is?" Marinette said angrily.

"What? No, of course not," Adrien backed off at the sight of Marinette's glare. "I just think you're thinking about this wrong. You need to think more about your safety. Besides, the ECSC is in a month, you don't want to risk an injury. Or your life."

"I am thinking about my safety." Marinette said coldly. "I know my limitations. If I didn't I could do it then I wouldn't be talking about it."

"Marinette, I'm not trying to patronize you-"

"But you are. You think I can't do it."

"That's not true! I just… I don't think it's a smart idea-"

"You keep saying that! How is that not patronizing?!"

Adrien ran a hand through his hair. "I'm just worried about you Marinette."

"And I can handle myself, Adrien. I'm a grown adult, too."

"It's not that, Marinette… it's…" Adrien let out a breath trying to get the words together. Plagg had stopped purring and had his eyes wide, sensing the tension between the two people.

The fire alarm broke the tense silence with its screeching. Adrien muttered a swear under his breath and rushed to the stove to turn off the cooking vegetables and take them off the heat.

"Nevermind." Marinette muttered, sliding off the bar stool. "I'll be right back."

Adrien started to tell Marinette to wait, but the words died on his lips as she walked around the corner and into the bathroom closing the door. He took off his oven mitts and sighed resting his head in his hands as he leaned on the counter. "God damn it." He should have just said it. WHy couldn't he tell her?

In the bathroom, Marinette sat down on the floor and rubbed at her eyes. Her face was hot and she felt like she wanted to cry. She hated to fight with Adrien-she really, _really_ liked him-but she didn't understand why he would get so mad at her over one little thing. The nerve of that boy! There was no explanation Marinette could think of other than that he didn't believe in her skill, but that didn't make any sense. He told her all the time she was a great surfer, but now all of a sudden he didn't think she could make her own decisions?

Marinette splashed some water on her face to calm her eyes and blew her nose, and sat on the edge of the bathtub for a moment to breathe before going back out to where Adrien had set the dinner table. Thankfully, Adrien didn't bring it back up, and they slowly fell back into normal conversation while they ate. Later in the evening, they sat out on Adrien's balcony and had tea together and watched the ocean in the distance. It seemed fine, and Adrien gave an apology for earlier, but Marinette had already made up her mind. She was definitely going to catch a wave.

•••

Marinette woke up being suffocated my Plagg near her head and Tikki cramping her legs. She groaned, pushing Plagg off the side of her face and he meowed, annoyed. She looked over the side of the bed to see Adrien missing; no wonder Plagg was all cuddled up with her. The animals were really clingy the past few days, with the storm brewing and all.

Marinette got up and pulled on a pair of shorts and went to make coffee. Outside the sky was dark and grey, and not a single patch of open sky could be seen. Wind was rattling the windows of the houses near the apartment complex, and she could hear the gusts outside even with the door to the balcony closed. Marinette pulled the door open, and was really thrown back by the strength of the wind. Her hair escaped from her messy bun, dark strands whipping around her face. Marinette pushed her hair out of her face with one hand and gripped the railing of the balcony firmly, and she gazed out at the ocean. She could see huge swells in the distance — rising up bigger than she'd ever seen — coming into shore and crashing on the sand. Marinette felt a shiver go through her whole body, and it wasn't from the wind.

She rushed back into the apartment and picked up her phone, which she yet to look at that morning. There was one text from Adrien.

 **hot roommate ;):** good morning princess!i had to go into work to take care of a few things. the storm isn't supposed to be dangerous until later this afternoon, so i'll be home by 12 or so.

Marinette's heart started racing. She checked the clock: 9:12. That was more than enough time. She could go to the beach, come back and be in the shower before Adrien would be home, and he'd never even know. Marinette tossed her phone on the bed and slid on her socks into the hall, jerking the closet door open to retrieve her wetsuit. It was cold outside after all.

Tikki and Plagg watched Marinette with fascination as she ran around the apartment gathering her things. When Tikki saw Marinette grab her keys and hoist her board under her arm, She jumped off the bed and wagged her tail excitedly.

"Sorry sweet girl," Marinette cooed, petting her head. "You can't come today."

Tikki whined as Marinette squeezed through the cracked door so her dog wouldn't escape with her, and Marinette shooed her back. She took one last glance at her discarded phone, which she could see on the bed across the apartment. Marinette shook her head resolutely, and closed the door.

The waves were bigger up close.

Okay, they were _way_ bigger. But that wasn't going to stop Marinette now. Her hair threatened to escape her braids, and sand swirled around her legs in the strong wind. Her board felt like a giant kite that could take her flying away with every big gust, but Marinette held firm. She glanced at her waterproof watch and knew she had to make a decision. Did she really want to go through with it? Marinette thought back to her and Adrien's conversation the night before, her parents telling her that she could never make it in California as a surfer, and decided yes. She was going to do it.

Marinette sprinted into the surf and dove under the first wave with her board. Despite her deep dive, she could feel the pull of the wave above her. When she surfaced on the other side, she could barely paddle two strokes before she had to dive again to avoid getting pummeled. This might be tricker that she thought.

After several minutes of fighting the current, Marinette managed to get out past the break point. Any of the waves were rideable at this size, so all Marinette had to do was go. The ocean was choppy around her, slapping the underside of her board and rocking her side to side. Her fingers and toes tingled at the thought of the huge waves, and her teeth started chattering. In the distance, she saw the swell of a huge wave beginning to gather. Now or never.

Marinette paddled forward as fast as she could, and she began to feel the tug of the water as the wave came up behind her, growing bigger. Marinette scrambled to stand up on her board, trying to stay put as the wind blew and the ocean lifter her higher and higher. The wave was huge, and Marinette only cast her glance out to see the shore as she rode along the wave once she was sure she was stable. She was amazed at the view: she could see all along the stretch of the beach, and beyond the windswept trees to the houses and apartments, and the boardwalk. Marinette extended her hand out to the side and let her fingers skim along the surface of the water wall beside her, letting out a gentle spray. Her adrenaline was high, and she could hear the blood pounding in her ears and the crashing of the wave as it curled over itself behind her. Marinette had never felt more alive on the water before.

She was enjoying herself too much, though. One minute Marinette felt perfectly stable, and the next thing she knew the tail of her board was getting pulled down, throwing her off balance. She'd accidentally let herself get too low on the wave, and now it was crashing down on her. Desperately, Marinette tried to steady herself, but it was too late. She was throw back and into the water, the wave pulling her and her board down into the churning sea.

•••

Marinette alternating between running and walking back to the apartment, too winded to run with waterlogged lungs and a heavy board. Her hair was a sticky mess, and the wind whipped the salty strands around her face. Her head still stung above her right eyebrow where she hit it on who knows what. It wasn't bleeding anymore, but she was counting on Adrien believing her excuse that she ran into the bathroom doorway and hit her head. He was used to her clumsiness, he would believe her. He had to.

She took the stairs two at a time up the outside staircase and fumbled with the key in the lock. She swung the door open all the way and moved to bring her board in when she stopped cold. A frazzled Adrien stared back at her, worry painted all over his face.

"You're early." Marinette croaked. They stood there a tense moment, Marinette's braids still dripping salt water onto the apartment floor, and Adrien frozen in place as his eyes darted around.

"You went out anyway." Adrien said, almost in disbelief.

"Yeppp…" Marinette shifted her board awkwardly.

Adrien looked like he was about to explode, but then his eyes drifted to the gash above her eyebrow and he rushed forward. "You're hurt!"

"It's not that bad." Marinette looked down and tried to push away his hand reaching out toward her face.

"Marinette! I warned you!" Adrien raised his voice. "I told you it was dangerous! Are you hurt anywhere else?"

"No." That was a lie. It had… all happened so fast. One moment she was riding the wave of her life; then she drifted too low on the wave and the breaking water caught the tail of her board, and under she went. The ocean ground her face into the sand and her ears were full of water. She felt like the skin on her left cheek and hand were sanded away, but she'd had much worse.

"You can't see yourself, Marinette!

"Maybe not, but I can feel it," She countered. "I've had worse wipeouts before. It's nothing."

"This is not _nothing!_ " Adrien cried. "You're bleeding, half, your face is scraped off, and I don't doubt you nearly drowned out there! Those are nearly 40 mile per hour winds, Marinette. You could be _dead_."

Adrien's hand reached forward toward her face again but Marinette caught his wrist. "I. Am. Fine."

"No you're not." Adrien ripped his wrist out of her grasp. "I _tried_ to tell you, Marinette-"

"Shut up!" Marinette screeched. "Listen, I don't _care_ what you told me. I was going to do it anyway. And here I am, plenty alive! Besides," she said, pointing her finger at him. "I think you were just too _scared_ to do it yourself."

"That's not what this is about!"

"Oh really? Then what is it about Adrien? I'm dying to know!"

Adrien fumbled with his words, all the anger draining out of him in seconds. "Marinette, I… I don't know. I feel like… I think I'm-"

"What, can't get it out?" She sneered.

"Can I just-" Adrien shook his head. "I can't tell you like this. Listen Marinette, I think you just need to calm down-"

"Calm down? Calm down?! _Fine_." Marinette ripped her keys out of where they were still in the lock. "I'll just leave then."

Marinette backed out of the door and went to unlock her own door with shaking hands.

"No, Marinette wait-"

"Goodbye, Adrien." Marinette said through gritted teeth. She threw her surfboard through the door, not even caring if she cracked a fin or not. "Tikki, come." A blissfully unaware Tikki ran around Adrien's legs, out the door, and into the neighboring apartment.

Adrien stepped out to follow her, but Marinette blocked the door. "I said, _good. Bye._ " and slammed the door in his face.

Marinette's own apartment was dark. Marinette fell to the floor and put her head in her hands, hot tears already pooling in her eyes. Tikki wined and pushed her nose up around Marinette's face. " _Merde_ ," she swore.

Marinette eventually got in the shower and stripped off her sticky wetsuit. She sat in her shower and cried until the hot water ran out. She finally managed to wash the last of the salt off her body and from her hair, and when she got out she looked dejectedly in the mirror at the cut above her eyebrow. Between her scrapes and now her puffy eyes, she looked worse than she felt. Maybe if she took a nap, this would all go away.

After she dressed her cut, she huddled up on her bed wrapped up in her bathrobe. Tikki jumped up on the bed and sat down next to her, tail thumping. Marinette stroked her dog's head and laid back down, but she didn't think she could fall asleep, despite how tired she was.

What was _wrong_ with Adrien? He'd been acting so weird lately; always stumbling over his words (something he never did), distracted all the time, and he was so against her going out today. He did have some points, but Adrien was normally just as adventurous as she was. Marinette wanted to cry some more. Adrien was such a perfect guy, but she couldn't understand why he was acting lol this and wouldn't tell her. How dare he tell her to calm down when he was the one acting all strange!

She was so _tired_ of the states right now. The stress of her job, this surf competition, and her boyfriend (was he anymore?) all at the same time was too much. Maybe she should call Alya. She always had good advice. But the thought of having a substantial conversation with her energetic friend right now nearly made her dizzy. Instead, she shuffled under the covers and put her music on.

Marinette must have fallen asleep eventually, because she woke up what felt like eons later to Tikki whining and running around the bed. Poor Tikki, she must be scared of the storm. The windows in her apartment were creaking from the strong wind outside, and trees outside were making groaning noises as they bent back.

Marinette reluctantly rolled out of bed and turned on the TV, before putting some water on the stove to boil to make some dinner. She sat on the couch and cuddled Tikki to make her feel better, and decided she should call Alya.

" _Hey girl! I was just about to call you. Are you guys okay over there? All safe?"_

"Yeah, me and Tikki are all good," Marinette said, careful to specify it was just her and the dog. "And we still have power. Are you and Nino okay?"

" _Yep, all good in the hood. You don't sound as good as you say though. Are you worried about the storm?"_ Alya asked. " _I know you probably haven't experienced a hurricane before back in France but I promise they're not the end of the world. It's just a tropical storm at this point, we weren't even advised to evacuate."_

"No I'm not worried about the storm." Marinette looked out the window at the swaying palm trees. "You remember how I said I wanted to go out a surf while the storm was here? On the big waves?"

" _Holy shit, you did that?"_ Alya gasped. " _The Mac Daddy waves?"_

Marinette giggled. "Yes those. I went out this morning. And I kind of… didn't tell Adrien."

Alya 'ooh-ed' over the phone.

"He was really mad. And so, we kind of had a fight. Like a big one. I kind of… left him. And now I'm back in my own apartment." Marinette finished awkwardly.

" _Oh no, Marinette. You mean like permanent left? Or temporarily left? You live right next to each other."_

"I know," Marinette groaned. "I was just so mad. And he's been weird recently. I think he's hiding something. Apparently he can't tell me exactly why he didn't want me to go out today, but I had a suspicion he didn't think I could do it. So I did."

" _Girl, girl, girl. I can't believe you sometimes."_ Marinette couldn't see Alya, but she knew she was shaking her head. " _Okay here's what I propose. That boy's like a puppy, I won't be surprised if he comes knocking on your door in two hours-"_

Alya was interrupted by her phone beeping. "Hold on a sec Alya," she said pulling the phone away from her ear and looked at the caller is with some confusion. "My cousin is calling. Can you wait?"

" _Sure thing."_

Marinette put Alya on hold and accepted the call from her cousin, Henri, switching to French. " _Bonjour,_ Henri. I wasn't expecting a call from you. What's up?"

"Bonjour _Marinette. So uh, I've been pretty much in with all the family drama over here, and Tom only told us he let you know what was going on. I just assumed you weren't going to come home for this because it seemed like your mom was getting better for a while there but…"_ Henri took a deep breath. " _I don't know how to say this gracefully but, she's had another stroke. Even while she was in the hospital. It's really bad, we don't know what's going on. I know you think no one in the family wanted you to come back, but I think everyone who has a grudge will make an exception for this."_

Marinette was too stunned to say anything. It had been a few weeks since her last call from her father, and he'd seemed optimistic. Marinette was still not keen on the idea of returning to Paris, so she'd written off that idea in her mind.

" _Mari? I know it might be hard to hear, but your mom needs you here. At least do it for her. You're her only daughter, she can't harbor resentment for you in her state. Please? Just for a few days. I just don't want… anything to happen and maybe you regret it."_

"Oh my god…" Marinette whispered. "I-I'll think about it, Henri. There's a storm coming into California right now, and I don't really know what's going to happen."

" _I understand."_ Henri said. " _Take your time. Just let me know, okay?"_

"Okay."

" _I'm really sorry Marinette."_

"Not much you can do about it though I suppose."

" _I suppose. Bye, Marinette."_

"Bye." Marinette hung up the phone and took a deep breath before switching back to Alya's line.

" _So?"_

"Well, I might be rethinking what I said about going back to Paris."

* * *

uhhh.,,..,.,, sorry.


	6. Chapter 6

second to last chapter! also, a reviewer asked what breed of dog Tikki is; i know the art my on the cover is a little dark, but you can alway follow the link in my bio to see a more high quality version on tumblr. i always envisioned her as a smaller, red dog, like a miniature, more stubby legged version of an irish setter. hope that helps your imagination!

* * *

After flying for a combined twelve hours, Marinette stood outside the Paris airport in Le Bourget waiting on the Uber that would take her to her hotel. Tomorrow, she would get picked up by Henri, and finally get to see her father and mother for the first time in almost nine months.

Alya was going to be looking after Tikki while she was gone. She was only hoping to be gone a few days, but it all depended on how Sabine was. Marinette was so angry with Adrien, and even this short trip would throw a wrench in her practice schedule for the competition. Marinette was never able to sleep on planes, so on the flight over she'd done a lot of thinking. Despite her family's resistance towards her moving away, she still missed them more than she had let on, but she didn't know if they felt the same way. Maybe going back would offer some closure, or maybe it would break the delicate balance she had left. She felt like her life was being pulled apart, and she just wanted a flaky croissant and a _real_ cup of coffee.

Once she arrived at her hotel room, she collapsed into the bed, worn out from jetlag. She set an alarm for an hour before Henri was to pick her up so she could shower, and passed out into a deep sleep.

The next day, she put on jeans and a warm sweater and grabbed her coat that had gone unused since she'd moved to the states. She slid into the passenger's seat of Henri's small car, and took in the familiar sights of Paris as they drove.

"You're not as pale as you used to be." Henri commented.

Marinette chuckled. "Yes, all the sun. You're still pasty as ever."

"Ew." Henri wrinkled his nose. "You have a little bit of an American accent now."

"What?" Marinette gasped. "I do not! Do I? Oh god, Maman will really hate me now." Marinette groaned and covered her face with her hands.

"Yeah, just a little. It's more noticeable in person than it was on the phone." Henri said. "It's ok, just speak softly and maybe she won't hear it."

They chatted back and forth in the friendly way cousins do, until they arrived at Tom and Sabine's Patisserie. Marinette felt her heart jump at the sight of the familiar windows. Henri parked the car around the corner. "I already told your father we were on the way, so he's expecting us."

Walking into the bakery hit Marinette with a wave of nonslagnia. The familiar smells, the chinese themed decorations on the counter that had been there since Marinette could remember, the one cracked tile that she had to avoid stepping on as they walked past the counter and to the stairs that led to the apartment above, all sent Marinette's mind spinning. Henri led the way up the familiar stairs, and he knocked on the door to the apartment. Inside, they heard some shuffling, and then the door opened to reveal Tom's face.

"Marinette," he breathed, barely acknowledging Henri's presence.

"Papa," Marinette said, already feeling her eyes becoming damp. After a moment of awkward stillness, Marinette decided the best thing to do was go for a hug. Tom embraced her tightly, and even rubbed her back a bit.

"I'm glad you decided to come home, Mari." Tom said, letting go. "Look, you have more freckles now." He said, letting his thumb graze across Marinette's cheek. "Well, um, come in, Your mother is in the bedroom right now."

Marinette nearly broke out in a cold sweat as her dad led them into the back bedroom, where Sabine was tucked into bed, looking out the window. Tom knocked softly on the door frame.

"Sabine, you have a visitor."

Marinette watched as her mom turn her head to look, and her eyes widened when she caught sight of Marinette. "Hi, Maman," Marinette said shyly.

"Marinette? What…?" Sabine said, confused.

"I'll leave you two alone for a little while," Tom said, guiding Marinette all the way into the room and closing the door. Marinette walked over to the bed and sat in the chair that was set close to the bedside. Sabine looked tired a frail in the bed, and it made Marinette want to cry.

"What are you doing back here?" Sabine asked, shifting around and struggling to sit up a bit in the bed. "Is everything okay back in the States?"

"Yes, Maman, everything is fine." Marinette lied. "I came… to see you."

Sabine's face softened, and she put a hand out of the covers for Marinette to hold. "Oh, Marinette."

"Dad called me about a month ago and told me you were in the hospital. I wasn't sure if I should come back, but then this week Henri called me again and convinced me to come."

"You weren't sure…?" Sabine looked confused, but then her eyes widened with surprise. "Oh my goodness… Marinette, honey, listen to me for a moment. I never meant to make you feel like you could never come home again. That night, your father and I were upset, and we said some things we probably shouldn't have. We didn't expect you to up and leave the next day like you did. We hoped that things would settle down once you moved and we could talk, but then things got busy here and then I got sick… it just all got out of hand and we never got the chance to tell you."

Marinette was floored. "Really?" she squeaked, a tear rolling down her cheeks.

"Yes," Sabine said with a sad smile. She tugged on Marinette's hands gently. "Come here."

Marinette got out of the chair and leaned over the bed to hug her mom. Her mother's words were still ringing around in her head, and she could barely believe it. "I missed you, mom."

"I missed you too, honey."

Marinette talked with her mom for an hour or so until she got too tired, and then Marinette left to go sit in the living room with her father and Henri who had been having coffee. Tom explained all the background about Sabine's sickness and hospitalization, and confirmed what Sabine had said about there being one big misunderstanding.

"I'm sorry we left you high and dry, Marinette," Tom said sadly. "We wish we could have called sooner. I hate that this was the thing to bring you back."

"It's okay, Papa. I'm here now." Marinette reached out to place her small hand on her father's big one, and he smiled. "I can stay longer, too. I can help you with Maman."

"Marinette, you don't have to stay. Don't you have your job and your friends to go back to?"

Marinette's heart skipped a beat when she remembered the surf competition. Her father picked up on her hesitation.

"It's okay sweetheart. We're happy to have you here for any amount of time you can stay," Tom said comfortingly.

"I'll see what I can swing," Marinette said, standing and putting her coffee cup down on the table. "I'm sure Henri has things to do, but I'll come back tomorrow."

Tom stood up and embraced her. "See you tomorrow, honey. Thank you so much for coming."

"Of course." Marinette squeezed her father back, and then followed Henri out of the door. Back out on the street, Henri spoke before starting the car.

"What are you going to do now?"

"I think I know," Marinette said. "But I'll know for sure once I have a coffee."

•••

Back in her hotel room, Marinette checked the time before calling Alya. It would be 5:30 in the morning back in California, but she knew Alya would probably be awake and on her 4th cup of coffee. At least, she hoped she would.

" _Mari?"_

"Alya!"

" _Hey! Okay, spill. What's the tea. How'd it go?!"_

"Oh my god, so much. Maybe you won't believe it all. I guess I have good news and bad news."

" _Oh boy. Well, let's hear it."_

"Okay, so long story short, my parents _don't_ hate me. My mom is so happy I came to see her, my dad is, too."

" _WHAT? Are you serious?!"_ Alya screeched, making Marinette move the phone away from her ear. " _What did I say? What. Did. I. Say."_

"Yes, yes, you were right. I give you one-hundred-percent credit for calling that one."

" _That's great Marinette. Like, really great. I know that's a huge weight off your conscience."_

"It really is." Marinette sighed. "And because of that - this is the bad news, I guess - is that I've decided to stay here longer. Like a lot longer."

" _Like… temporarily-move-back longer?"_

"Yeah. I just… I want to be here to help my mom and my dad. And, I know this is morbid, but if something happens to her, I don't want to be halfway across the world, you know?"

" _I totally understand."_ Alya said. " _But for how long, seriously? What about the ECSC?"_

"I don't know actually," Marinette sighed. "At this point I just need to have a break for California, that's all. I just need to keep my mind of Adrien and more on my parents. Maybe if I only stay a month, I can come back and still have enough time to be ready for the competition. If it's longer, I think I'll just have to withdraw."

" _Aw, Marinette…"_

"I know, I know. And I'm really sorry about your article. I'm completely ruining your journalism, huh?"

" _Hey now, my story should be the least of your problems. You do what you gotta do, girl. Speaking of all this, what are you gonna do with your place? Will I need to keep Tikki?"_

"Yeah about that." Marinette turned around in her hotel room's swivel chair and woke up her laptop. "I think I'm just going to list my apartment on, uh, how do you say it… Airbnb? For now. I'll fly back in a few days and get some clothes and pack all my stuff up, and I'll bring Tikki back to France with me."

" _That sounds like a lot of flying,"_ Alya whistledz

"And money," Marinette groaned. "But I gotta do what I gotta do, as you say."

Alya laughed. " _Yep. The things you do for love. And self love, too."_

•••

Marinette spent four more days in Paris, until she was on her last clean outfit and running out of francs. Her parents were initially very resistant to the idea of her coming back just to help them out, but Marinette insisted it was what she wanted to do. Tom said he would work on cleaning her old childhood bedroom in the loft upstairs so she wouldn't have to spend money on a hotel room when she came back, and even drove her to the airport for her long, 12 hours back to Ventura. On her first flight to her Atlanta connection, Marinette had plenty of time to let thoughts of possibly seeing Adrien again marinate in her mind, and then on her shorter flight from Atlanta to LAX, they turned into full-blown anxiety.

Alya met her at the airport, and Marinette was practically a shaking mess as they waited at baggage claim. She only felt some calm when the were in Alta's Jeep, speeding down the freeway with wind blowing and music loud.

Marinette put her arm out of the window and let her hand ride the waves of air like a little kid. The warm California breeze felt so nice and refreshing compared to the cold streets of Paris. Looking out at all the palm trees and people biking past, she felt right at home again, but she also felt a longing to go back to Paris at the same time. Caught between two places.

Alya pulled up at the apartment complex and pulled Marinette out of her thoughts. As Alya drove down the parking lot looking for a space, Marinette caught sight of Adrien's forest green Jeep parked in its spot. She slumped down in her seat, covering her face with her hands. "Noooo, he's home Alya! I can't get out."

"What are you even talking about." Alya said as she parked and put her sunglasses on her head.

"Look!" Marinette pointed. "That's his car, he's home. What if hears us in my apartment? What if he _sees me?!"_

Alya scowled. "Marinette, pull it together, girl! He probably won't notice. We'll run up there fast and I can carry all your stuff down to the car so you only have to come and go once."

Marinette humphed, crossing her arms over her chest and sliding down in her seat more.

Alya rolled her eyes. "C'mon, get up. I had no idea I picked a four-year-old up from the airport."

"I'm twenty-five, actually," Marinette mumbled.

Alya unbuckled her seatbelt and slid out of the Jeep, but forze when she turned to face the building. "Shit, get in the backseat."

"What?" Marinette sat up, confused.

Alya shushed her frantically and got back in the car, pushing Marinette into the backseat and onto the floor. "Stay down, don't move." Alya kneeled backwards in the driver's seat and leaned over to pull Marinette's carry-on bag and coat on top on her. Marinette swore in French as her bag landed on her knees.

"Merde, Alya! Wh-"

"Shhh! Shut up. It's _Adrien_." Alya said through gritted teeth.

Marinette's eyes went wide. "Shouldn't you hide, too?"

"No, he's already seen me. At least I think." Alya whispered, even though a car (probably Adrien's) had started nearby in the parking lot.

"Alya, you're not going to-" Marinette started, but she was cut off by a sharp and meaningful glance from Alya. Alya stood up in the driver's seat to wave.

Marinette heard the car roll up behind them and stop, idling. Even though she was hidden, she barely dared to breathe.

"Hey Adrien, what's up?" Alya greeted, leaning casually on the Jeep's roll bar.

"Not much, just headed to work for an afternoon shift." Adrien's voice wasn't too clear with the car running and Marinette all the way in the bottom of Alya's Jeep, but she heard it. Even though it had barely been a week, she felt like it had been a lifetime since she'd last heard it. "What are you doing here?"

"Just getting some stuff for Tikki," Alya lied easily.

"You're still watching her?"

"Yeah."

"Oh." Marinette couldn't hear his sigh, but she could envision it and the sad look that went with it in her mind. "Have you heard from her?" He asked, hopeful.

Marinette looked up at Alya and saw her hesitation. "Uh, last I heard she was going to be staying in France a little longer."

"Oh." Adrien said again. "Well, I hope her mom is okay. And she'll be back eventually right? I just… really want to talk to her, but not over the phone. I want to give her some time."

Marinette wanted to cry. Alya looked sad, and she looked down and made eye contact with Marinette for half a second. "I… don't know what to tell you, Adrien. I'm sorry."

"It's okay. See you around, yeah?" He said, sounding crushed.

"Yeah," Alya responded, giving a small smile. They listened as the jeep drove away, and once he was around the corner Alya gave the all-clear.

"Was he really upset-looking?" Marinette asked.

"Honestly? He looked ready to cry." Alya grimaced.

Marinette groaned and pushed off the floor and out of the car.

"Look on the bright side, he's gone so we can pack in peace."

"Yes, the 'bright side'." Marinette repeated, making air quotes.

After climbing the stairs, Marinette opened the door to her apartment, squinting into the dark. The familiar sight and smell instantly relaxed her, and she walked in and flopped face down on the couch.

"Do you mind if I sleep for a little while? Flying and close encounters make me exhausted." Marinette mumbled into the cushion.

"Sure," Alya said, setting her keys on the counter and walking over to open the curtains covering the balcony windows. "I'll do some basic cleaning and packing, you can do the rest later."

"Sounds good," Marinette mumbled, giving a half-hearted thumbs up, already drifting off.

A few hours later, Marinette woke up to Alya gently shaking her shoulder and waving Chinese takeout under her nose. "Wakey wakey, sleepyhead."

Marinette yawed, sitting up and stretching her back. "Yum."

"You're welcome. Okay, so I washed all the bed sheets, cleaned out the refrigerator, cleaned the whole back room and the bathroom. All your personal stuff is in a box by your bedside table. I left you some boxes to put your clothes that you'll leave here, and I'll bring an extra suitcase tomorrow when I come for you to pack your other clothes in."

"You're not gonna stay here?" Marinette asked.

"Nope, I have to go home so I can feed and walk _your_ dog, remember? And I have to go to work tomorrow before I drop you both back at the airport."

Just the mention of getting on another long flight made Marinette want to sleep for another ten years. "Ugh, you're right."

Alya patted her leg. "Buck up, kiddo. And a 'thank you, Alya' wouldn't hurt either."

"I loveeee youuuu." Marinette sang, wrapping her friend in a hug.

"Love you toooooooo." Alya squeezed her back. "I'm pretty sure Adrien is home now, so I'm gonna try to sneak back to my car and hope he didn't notice it was still here. I closed the balcony curtains again so the lamp light wouldn't shine outside."

"Thanks," Marinette sighed.

"Bye, see you tomorrow," Alya said, grabbing her keys on the way out.

"See you." Now alone in her apartment, Marinette rubbed the sleep from her eyes and scarfed down the Chinese Alya had left her with. She made a mental note to pay her back at some point.

Magnetised to the refrigerator was a piece of paper Alya had written on in neat handwriting, informing renters of the location of the iron, the finicky drawer, and the wifi password. Marinette smiled - Alya really was the best.

Marinette stayed up late going through her clothes and cleaning out her bathroom. Most of her bathing suits and warm weather clothes she boxed up and was able to shove into the back of her closets, but she lamented throwing away half used shampoos and hair products she couldn't bring back on the plane, but didn't want to leave out.

Around one in the morning, Marinette ran out of things to do. She picked up her phone to finally respond to some text messages from her co-workers, and well-wishes on her stay with her parents from her boss. She felt stiff and tired and desperately wanted to talk a walk, but it was too late for that. Instead, she peeked out of her curtains to see if any light was coming from Adrien's next door, but it all looked dark. Deeming it safe, she slipped on a sweatshirt she'd left unpacked and sat on the floor of the balcony with her back against the wall. The fresh air was nice, and she could look up and down Ventura's beach at all the lights coming from houses and parties. The lights and street sounds weren't the same as the ones in Paris, but they were special in their own way.

Marinette looked over between the railings at Adrien's dark windows. She really didn't hate him. She had been mad at the time, absolutely, and with all the fuss with her parents, she hadn't had much time to revisit her feelings about what happened between them. She still liked him so, so much, but Marinette wasn't ready to forgive him yet. Adrien hadn't reached out to her at all since she'd left, so thought that was his way of accepting her ending whatever they had. But, since eavesdropping on his and Alya's conversation today, she was beginning to rethink that. He'd said he just wanted to give her time. Maybe she should do the same? Hopefully some time in France could help get her in the right headspace. Until then, maybe she would just take Adrien's time he was giving her. God knows she needed it.

•••

Marinette rolled off her bed, finally picking up her buzzing phone. She sat up and groggily looked at the screen to read 1:24 pm; roughly two and a half hours until her flight. Alya would be here soon, with Tikki!

She took the shower she hadn't felt up to taking last night, and put on a pair of clean and comfy clothes for her plane ride. As she was drying her hair, she got the text from Alya that she was here and coming up.

Marinette heard the apartment door open, and the rolling of suitcase wheels on the hardwood. "We're here!" Alya called. "Go find mom!"

"Tikki!" Marinette yelled, putting down her hair dryer. She heard her dog's nails on the floor before she saw her, and Tikki nearly slid into the bathroom wall she was so excited. Marinette scooped her up, and Tikki licked all over her face. "Hi hi hi hi! I missed you sooooo much sweet girl."

"Aww, mother daughter reunion!" Alya leaned against the bathroom door frame, smiling. "I'll pack your clothes, I assume they're all the ones on the floor."

"Yep!" Marinette said, putting down Tikki who was still bouncing around with excitement. "And I only have like, 4 things in here that need to be packed.

"Great. Oh also, I've got Starbucks and a breakfast sandwich for you on the counter, since I had to throw out all your food last night." Alya said, shoving clothes into the suitcases.

"I could kiss you, Alya."

"Everyone wants to."

Marinette laughed, and went to eat her sandwich and finish tidying up. Once everything was packed and the apartment was deemed ready, Alya went to go carry the suitcases to her car while Marinette finished eating.

"You ready?" Alya asked, clipping on Tikki's leash.

"Yeah, let me go to the bathroom first. Go ahead and start the car I'll be right there." Marinette said.

"Gotcha."

Marinette went to the bathroom, and checked to make sure all the lights were off and everything was in its place. She sighed - back to France again. Grabbed her purse off the counter, closed the door and, locked it. As she turned to walk for the staircase, her heart skipped a beat at the sight of an incredibly handsome man with piercing, familiar green eyes.

"Marinette?" Adrien whispered, almost in shock.

Meanwhile, Marinette was in shock. Alya would have told her if she'd seen his car. How could she have forgotten to warn her?

"I… I thought you were gone…" Adrien said, confused. "I talked to Alya just yesterday… have you been here this whole time?"

"No," Marinette said meekly, finding her voice. "I've been gone, but I uh, came back yesterday to get some things. I'm leaving to go back in two hours."

"Oh." Adrien said. He had the same sad tone as yesterday, and Marinette's heart burst. Tears immediately pooled in the corners of her eyes threatening to spill onto her cheeks at any moment.

"I'm so sorry," Marinette choked out in French. "I can't right now, I-I… I have to go." She ran past him, already sobbing. Tears fogged her vision so much she could barely see the stairs and she ran down them, but she could clearly hear Adrien calling to her in French to wait, wait, wait.

* * *

YEET IM SO SORRY

am i tho. mmmm, nah.


	7. Chapter 7

hi! welcome to the last chapter! thank you all for enjoying this story as much as you have, and for all the support! fun fact, the majority of this story was written in one month because i can't work with deadlines apparently, and this chapter specifically i wrote in 4 hours the night before this fic was due for the big bang #SelfExposure. oh well. also, i was originally planning to kill Sabine, but my main editor convinced me not to :P you're welcome.

* * *

3 months later

"Marinette, I just made a fresh batch of chocolate croissants, you should come down and get one while it's hot!"

"Okay Papa, I'll be right down!" Marinette called down the stairs of her loft. She made her way down to the bottom floor of the building and back into the bakery, scooping a warm croissant off the baking tray. "Mmm," she hummed. "Delicious as always."

"I'm glad they are up to the Marinette standard." Tom said, tweaking the end of Marinette's nose.

"Can I take a few upstairs with me?" Marinette asked, already reaching for a plate from the cupboard.

"Of course, just make sure you leave some for the customers." Tom said.

Marinette put three on her plate and walked back up to her loft, flopping back down on her chaise, and stuffing a croissant in her mouth whole. Over on the floor next to her bed Tikki was stretched out. She'd been there since that morning.

Marinette looked at the two more croissants she had left on her plate, and suddenly felt like she would be sick if she ever smelled chocolate again. She put the plate on her desk and walked over to Tikki, giving her a pat. "Let's go out for a walk girl."

Marinette put on her overcoat and clipped on Tikki's leash. The Parisian air was crisp and cool, but it didn't do much to improve her mood. She took Tikki to the Parc du Champ de Mars hoping to let her off the lease to run, but Tikki just lay down again and put her head on her paws, watching people and other dogs go by.

"You look how I feel, girl." Marinette said, reaching down to pet Tikki's head.

When they got back home, Marinette made her mom lunch and ate with her in the living room. Her mom had improved greatly in the past three months, and now she was able to stand and walk short distances, and insisted eating meals at a table instead of in bed.

"Mari, honey, I can tell you're not feeling good. Are you sick?" Sabine asked, watching Marinette pick at her food.

"I don't know." Marinette said honestly. "I just… feel tired all the time now. Tikki seems that way, too. Maybe I just miss the ocean."

"Or maybe you miss the States, hm?" Sabine said. "When did you last call your friend?"

Marinette though. Her last conversation with Alya have been a week ago, which was a long time for them to go without even one text. "I guess a while ago. But she's probably busy with work and stuff."

"Marinette, you've been here a long time. Three months is a long time to be gone from your home and your job." Sabine said, putting down her chopsticks.

"This is home," Marinette countered. "And I've been happy to stay."

"Not anymore, sweetheart. You were so determined to leave France last year, ready to leave forever. Where did all of your fire go?"

Marinette was at a loss. "I… don't know."

"Marinette," Sabine said gently. "Did something happen there you didn't tell us? That makes you afraid to go back?"

"No," Marinette said quickly.

Sabine hummed, sitting back in her chair and giving her daughter the mother-knows-all look. She picked up her chopsticks and went back to eating.

After a minute of silence, Marinette relented. "Okay, fine," she said, huffing. "I got into an argument with this person I got to know really well. And we, uh, never really got to talk about it. And I guess I didn't really want to, either."

"Really? What did you fight about?"

"Surfing."

Sabine rolled her eyes.

"I'm serious, Maman! It was." Marinette cried. "I did something he thought was dangerous, but here I am on the other side, perfectly fine. He just didn't want to believe it."

"Well, I think you have some unresolved issues with this _friend_ of yours." Sabine said, and now it was Marinette's turn to roll her eyes. "You've been here long enough Marinette. I'm already doing so much better. You deserve to go home."

"But… what if something happens to you?" Marinette said weakly.

"I'll be fine honey. You are still welcome to visit, but Paris isn't your home anymore, California is. Like you said, you miss the ocean."

Marinette sighed. "I'll think about it."

Later that night Marinette lay in her bed and scrolled mindlessly through her phone. Her eyes hurt from looking at the screen in the dark too long, and she could feel a headache beginning. She clicked her phone off and tossed it on the bed beside her, rubbing her eyes. Tikki snored softly beside her on the bed, and Marinette reached out to stroke the soft fur on the top of her head, mulling over what her mom had told her that day. The more she thought about it, the more she realized it was probably right. She was having ocean withdrawals. Tikki was probably missing Plagg; the two had been best friends.

And, well, fuck it, she missed Adrien a lot. She thought about him nearly everyday, and it wasn't getting any better. At first she still was angry at him, but she missed his presence in the kitchen while she cooked, him next to her in the car, him laying next to her in bed at night while they got crowded by the pets, when she had no one to talk to or just voice her thoughts to. She wished she hadn't broken down and ran that day they saw each other. If she had just stayed a minute longer, maybe things could be different right now, and Marinette wouldn't be stuck in a stiflingly hot loft and sleeping her in childhood bed, the only warmth coming from her dog who was just as sad as she was.

At that moment, Marinette's phone buzzed, and she squinted in the dark to look at it.

 **Event Reminder:** (In 3 days) ECSC !

Oh my god, she'd totally forgotten. Marinette had withdrawn her entry a month ago, knowing since she hadn't been practicing that she wouldn't be ready to compete. After that, it had totally slipped her mind. Throwing the covers off the bed, she went to her desk and opened her laptop. After having to come to terms with being next to broke, Marinette texted a picture of her computer screen to Alya. She responded almost immediately.

 **alya:** UMM? IS THAT WHAT I THINK THAT IS?

 **alya:** IM READING THIS RIGHT?

 **alya:** I DONT HAVE MY GLASSES ON RIGHT NOW BUT IM PRETTY SURE THAT SAYS PARIS TO ATLANTA TO LAX

 **marinette:** it does :) catch me home in time to watch my favorite girl cover the ECSC

 **alya:** DINVBERUBSKNKNFNS

•••

Two days later, Marinette was running and jumping into Alya's arms at LAX, beyond excited to be home.

"Girl, I never thought I'd see you again!" Alya yelled into Marinette's ear, refusing to let go.

"You might not if you keep squeezing me like this," Marinette choked. "I think I'm suffocating in your hair."

"Let me be excited, okay?" Alya said, letting go. The girls looked at each other a moment before bursting into giggles and hugging again. "Alright, let's get you back home so you can SLEEP before i come get you at the crack of dawn to go reporting with me."

"Um, sorry, but I'll be sleeping until at least eleven. Jet lag is real." Marinette said, grabbing one suitcase off the conveyor belt while Alya grabbed the other.

"Fine, I guess you do have the other four days to go bright and early with me."

Tikki, free from her dog carrier at last, was bounding around in the California breeze. "Someone's excited to be home." Alya remarked.

"That makes two of us." Marinette smiled.

Alya dropped Marinette off at her apartment, newly unlisted from Airbnb, and told her to call her when she was settled in if she was hungry and wanted to get dinner. Marinette promised her she would, and was grateful to find her apartment almost nearly as she left it. After setting Tikki back up with water and kibble, she was going to take her out to their usual spot of law to let her run around, when she looked back out at the ocean in the distance from her familiar balcony view. The beach.

Marinette quickly ripped open the boxes in the back of her closet and changed into a bathing suit. She slipped on some shorts and grabbed her sunglasses, shoving her feet into her Chacos she hadn't used once back in Paris. "C'mon Tikki, lets go to the water."

Once Tikki realized they were headed for the ocean, she was pulling and straining at the leash. After nearly being pulled halfway there, Marinette unclipped her and let her run into the surf. Marinette followed her in, stopping at the edge of the water like she usually did, letting the surf wash over her toes and make her feet sink deeper into the sand.

Marinette breathed in the salty ocean air, reveling in the feeling it gave her. Tikki ran back to shore, splashing and soaking wet. Marinette bent down and patted her. "Good dog, it feels nice to finally be home huh? Did you miss us being here?"

"I did."

Marinette stood up and whipped around, startled. Adrien stood behind her back on the dry sand, his surfboard under one arm, his hair still damp from the water.

"Adrien? I-I wasn't uh… expecting to see you so soon. I mean right away. I mean, um…" Marinette panicked, stumbling over her words.

Tikki ran up to Adrien and started jumping on him, and he put his board down so he could pick her up. "Hey doggie. I missed you." He said, cooing at her in French. Tikki licked his face. "I promise I didn't stalk you here." Adrien said, putting Tikki back on the sand.

"Um, well, I promise I didn't stalk you here either. I mean, I think you were here first."

"Hm. I guess it was just… fate that we were here at the same time."

"Guess so."

Marinette averted her eyes, looking down at Tikki, and took a breath before speaking. "I'm sorry what I did to you. I shouldn't have just left like that. And then run out on you when I saw you again. It- it wasn't right of me. I was really only thinking of myself and my own feelings. I'm so sorry." Marinette looked up again, and Adrien was just staring at her. "Um, also, sorry for making Alya lie to you. About me not coming back and all, when I was really in her car the whole time."

"I know." Adrien said.

Marinette was taken aback. "W-what? What do you mean?"

"I saw you. I saw your hair. Alya has an _open Jeep_ , and she did a terrible job of hiding you, frankly."

Marinette's mouth was agape. "Is that why you said what you said? About waiting? About wanting to talk to me in person?'

"Yeah. I was hoping you would knock on my door that night but you never did, so I figured you had already packed up and left by the time I was home from work that night. Running into you that morning was an accident."

"Oh," was all Marinette could say. "Well, now I feel dumb."

"Don't feel dumb. It's kind of ironic now, I guess." Adrien cleared his throat. "I, uh, accept your apology though. I was kind of a dick. It's not all your fault, you had every right to be mad at me. Actually, if it's anyone's fault, it's mine. I should have told you sooner."

"Told me what?" Marinette said, barely audible.

"That I'm in love with you," Adrien said plainly. "That was why I was so upset about you going out on the storm waves, if something had happened I would have never forgiven my-" Adrien's words were cut of by Marinette launching herself at him and hugging him as tight as she could. "Oh, okay, Marinette, we're gonna-" Adrien lost his balance, and they fell back on the sand together. "- fall." he wheezed the air knocked from his lungs.

But Marinette was grabbing at his hair and putting her hands on the side of his face. "I love you too! I love you too!"

"Really?" Adrien asked, seeming genuinely surprised.

"Yes!" Marinette cried, kissing him over and over. "Yes!"

•••

Alya and Marinette sat on the sand together, Alya's camera at the ready to take photos. Marinette sat bouncing with excitement, Tikki and Plagg curled up in the shade of their beach umbrella behind them. Adrien's name was called over the loudspeaker, and the crowd cheered him on while they waited to watch him catch a wave.

"This is so exciting." Marinette bubbled.

"Yeah, you're only this excited because _you_ aren't surfing. If you were competing today you would be peeing your pants."

"Probably," Marinette giggled. "But I'm not. Oh look, there he goes!"

Alya zoomed in and her shutter snapped as Adrien got up into a riding stance. His form looked great, Marinette hoped the judged thought so, too.

"Ooh, I got some good ones. Wanna see?" Alya said, looking back at the photos.

"Yeah, but let's walk down there." Marinette ran and gave Adrien a hug and a kiss on the lips as he and the other surfers from his heat walked out of the water. "You looked great, babe!"

"Thanks," Adrien smiled. "I hope the actual judges feel that way, too."

"I'm sure they will," Alya said. "I can you show the pics in a minute. Smile you two!"

Marinette stood on her tippy toes and gave Adrien a kiss on the cheek, and Alya's camera shutter snapped.

"Look at that!" Alya excalimed, looking at the photo on the instant display. "There's like a rainbow in this corner from the ocean mist. Crazy huh?"

"Yeah," Marinette whispered. "Like it was meant to be."

* * *

thanks for reading, you guys! so much love ~ ceci


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